The country's export of textile sector, including cotton yarn, bed-wear, garments, made-up articles, knitwear and other textile materials has declined 3 percent during the first month of current fiscal year, due mainly to the electricity and gas disruptions, manufacturers-cum-exporters said on Wednesday.
The textile export stood at $905.915 million during July of the current fiscal year, as compared to $930.328 million during the same period last fiscal year, declining by 24.413 million or 2.62 percent.
In July 2008, the textile export also depicted a decline of 1.43 percent when compared with June 2008, as it stood at $919.052 million during June of last fiscal year against the exports of $905.912 million in July 2008, posting a slump of $13.137 million, according to the official statistics.
In a break-up, the export of the cotton yarn posted a decline of 17.49 percent, followed by knitwear export by almost nine percent, bed-wear also by nine percent, readymade by 0.21 percent and made-up articles exclusive of towel and bed-wear by almost one percent.
The other textile materials export plunged by 32.25 percent during July of the current fiscal year, as compared to the same period of the fiscal year 2006-07.
Former Pakistan Readymade Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (Prgmea) chairman Ijaz Khokhar held the unavailability of gas and electricity to industries responsible for the decline in textile export, while talking to Business Recorder on phone from Sialkot.
He said the textile export could go up by at least 10 percent from the existing, if the government ensured the utilities uninterrupted supply throughout the year. The other reason, he raised was the travel advisories issued by the foreign countries departments concerned, advising their buyers particularly of Germany, Netherlands, France, US, and the Scandinavian countries from visiting to Pakistan.
In such a situation, when buyers are not interested in visiting Pakistan for finalising the business deals, exports cannot flourish amid steep economic regression, he said, adding that the government has to evolve a policy to enhance exports.
Criticising the role of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, Ijaz Khokhar said that it has also failed to respond to the challenges facing the modern day world markets, as a result the country's exports suffered.
He said that some 15 percent foreign orders slipped from the local exporters' hands towards China and Bangladesh. He said that still Pakistani exporting products' quality is better than those of other and available at lower rates by 7 percent as compared to rates of China's products in the world markets.